


The King's Son

by Drag0nWr1tes



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Ezran worries, Gen, Harrow Worries, Harrow is a good Dad, Hurt Callum, Hurt/Comfort, MY BABIES, Poisoning, Soren cares, Viren is Viren, Whump Callum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-14 10:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16491158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drag0nWr1tes/pseuds/Drag0nWr1tes
Summary: Viren really should have informed Harrow what was happening right away. The king could only hope he wouldn't be too late.





	The King's Son

**Author's Note:**

> Dis my first Dragon Prince fic!!!!!!!!!! I hope you all like it! Also, my friends and I agree that Harrow is hot af and the creators didn't need to go so hard on him, but I appreciate it so much.

Quick footsteps sounded in the hallway, as Harrow hurried to his children’s rooms. He’d been away from the castle for the past couple of months, so the boys had been left in Viren’s care. The advisor had assured him that his sons would be safe; that they would have fun with Soren and Claudia while he was gone.

Now, he comes back to find his eldest has been sick for the past fortnight. To make matters worse, he only seemed to be deteriorating as time went on. This is something Harrow had not known until arriving back only an hour before. Viren would have a lot of explaining to do once he got a hold of the man.

“Your majesty!” a servant exclaimed in shock.

Harrow supposed he looked strang,e barreling through the castle likes he was, but could anyone blame him? “Maria, is Viren with the boys?”

“Y-Yes! Yes, Sire!” She exclaimed. “I believe he is speaking with the healers at the moment. Would you like for me to announce you?” The woman had already turned back the way she had come.

“No, go about your business. I will announce myself.”

She nodded before scurrying off down the corridor. Harrow would apologize for his brashness later; he wanted to see his son _now_. His steps sounded louder and more hurried as he resumed his trek. One more turn brought him to the door that stood between him and his child. The wooden door was shut but he could hear muffled coughing and hushed voices from within.

Surprisingly, he saw Soren standing outside the room. The young knight was looking pale and exhausted as though he’d been there for there for hours. Seeing the king approaching, he quickly straightened to address the king. “Sire! I-I didn’t know you were back!”

“How long have you been here, Soren?” he asked.

The sixteen-year-old grimaced. “Since he’s been sick, Sire.”

Harrow narrowed his eyes. “And your father has allowed this?”

Soren rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t give him much choice. I’m not leaving until he’s better.”

A reluctant smile curved the king's lips. Soren might be more of a jokester, but he did care dearly about the two princes. It was obvious by the way he had situated himself outside of this room. “Go get some sleep. I will not have you getting sick as well.”

“But—”

“Are you arguing with your king?” Harrow raised an eyebrow at the teen, his tone teasing.

“No! O-of course not! It’s just...I need to be here. I’m a knight, I have to protect the prince.”

Harrow smiled. “And you will be taking care of yourself. You cannot protect my son unless you are at your best. Now, go eat something and rest.”

Soren stared down at his feet for a moment before nodding. “Yes, your majesty.” With one last look at the door, he started dragging himself down the corridor. Harrow made sure the young knight was on his way to the kitchens before finally opening the bedroom door.

The conversation between the healers and Viren stopped upon his entrance. Both of the healers both took on a look of surprise. Viren’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates upon seeing his old friend. “Harrow—”

He raised his hand for the man to remain silent as he made his way over to the bed where Callum lay. “Ezran?” he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. He touched his stepson's forehead, unsurprised by what he found. The boy’s skin was hot to the touch and covered in sweat.

“His room,” Viren said. “He has been by Callum’s side since he’d fallen ill.”

Harrow nodded but did not look away from the boy. A weak cough rattled his chest, then he took a deep breath, before his eyes slid open. “Yo-yo—”

“Shh, rest. I’m here now.” He brushed the bangs from Callum’s eyes as he waited for them to close again. Once Harrow was sure he was resting again, his attention turned to Viren and the healer. “What does he have?”

The healer stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her. “We are unsure, your highness. All I can tell is that it is some sort of poison. We are trying to find the cure for.”

“ _Poison_?”

The healer winced. “I am sorry, I thought you’d been informed.”

Narrowed eyes slid to Viren. “Explain.”

“I did not think it wise to inform you when it happened. You were finishing your peace talks at the border and I did not want that to be done in vain if you rushed out all of a sudden. Had it been Ezran—”

Harrow stood up, turning the full scale of his glare to the advisor. “Finish that sentence and you will regret it.” He knew there were people who did not understand why he cared for Callum as he did, but it mattered little to him. Callum may not be his blood son, but he was Harrow’s through Sarai. Nothing would change that.

Viren held his hands up. “I am sorry, I was only doing what I believe was best.”

“Next time one of my children is poisoned,” Harrow said, doing his best to keep the snarl from his voice, “I am to know immediately.” Once he received a nod from Viren, he turned back to Callum. He would not leave the boy alone now that he was back.

Callum grabbed everyone’s attention once again as a violent cough began, a tiny bit of blood flying out to land on his lip. Harrowed moved to be seated behind the young boy, so he wouldn’t choke while the healer flew forward to help him.

“Callum,” she said. “Take slow breaths, just as I showed you.” Her hands moved to straighten his head up while Harrow did his best to assist her as he could. From her pocket, she pulled out a small vial and uncorked it. Once Callum’s coughing had calmed down, she poured the contents of the vial into his mouth.

“What is that?” Harrow asked.

“Something for the pain,” she said. “Unfortunately, we don’t know what poison he was given so we must counteract the symptoms as they come up.” As soon as Callum had taken the syrupy-looking substance he collapsed against Harrow. Short panting breaths sounding in his chest.

“Who did this to him?” Harrow asked. His hand resting on the boy’s forehead to check his temperature.

“We don’t know,” Viren said. “He and Ezran were talking after Callum got done training with Soren when he collapsed.”

“It was in my cookie,” a small voice said. The adults turned to the boy in the doorway, no one had noticed when he had entered. He clutched a green, grumpy looking, glowing-toad in his arms.

“Ezran, you should be in bed,” Harrow said. Truthfully, he didn’t begrudge the child from being here; he and Callum were extremely close.

“I’m sorry, Papa. I just...I want to stay with Callum!”

The king sighed as he held his arm out for his younger son to come over. The little boy practically ran over, nearly tripping over the carpet as he went, then climbing up next to his father. Harrow shifted Ezran so he was resting securely against him and wouldn’t fall off the bed.

“Prince Ezran, what was that about a cookie?” Viren asked.

Ezran dragged his eyes away from his brother to look at the advisor. “I...was talking to a man in the gardens and he gave me a cookie before he left. He said he was a merchant. After he left I went to see Callum and-and he looked so _tired_ so I gave him the cookie. Th-that’s when he got so so sick and-and I’m sorry, Papa! This is all my fault!”

“E-Ez...not..not...fault,” Callum gasped, a hand weakly reaching for his brother’s. He tried to say more but another cough rattled his weak form.

“Hush, Callum, you must rest.” Harrow gently laid the boy back down on the bed, his hand resting on his head to offer comfort where he could. His eyes drifted to his youngest. “Ezran, what did this man look like?”

The prince raised a fist to his eyes, trying to wipe his tears away, but more just kept coming. “He was tan, with a scar on his face, like this:” he used his pointer finger to draw an invisible line from below his left eye, over his nose, to below his right eye. “And his eyes were brown.”

Harrow looked at Viren. “Send out the men. Have them find out anything you can. The assassin is probably gone by now, but perhaps he saw an herbalist here to acquire the poison.”

Viren nodded. “My thoughts exactly. I will lead the search team myself.”

As he turned to leave Harrow called after him. “And Viren, we will be discussing when it is appropriate to contact me while I am away from my sons.”

The advisor paused for a moment before giving a slight nod and continuing on.

The healer placed a few more vials on the nightstand. “I will go down the medical wing to prep for a possible cure. If he is in pain, give him the blue vials, one at a time. The red one is to help hold off the poison's symptoms. Send for me if he gets really bad.”

Once she was gone, Harrow lifted Ezran from the bed and carried him over to the couch close by. “Papa?” he asked.

“You must sleep. I will wake you if Callum needs you.” He laid Ezran down, making sure Bait was settled down next to him, then used the blanket off the back couch to tuck him in. “Rest, you will be no use to your brother if you are exhausted.”

Ezran opened his mouth to argue, but a large yawn overtook him and he relented, snuggling down into the blanket before drifting off.

Harrow breathed a sigh of relief. At least one of his children had been taken care of. Now he just had to worry about Callum.

He’d arrived back at the castle just after dinner and by the time dawn broke, Harrow had yet to sleep. He remained awake all night, doing what he could for Callum. At one point, Callum had thrown up something in the middle of the night. He needed to be turned over on his side to keep from choking to death. Thankfully, the healer happened to be coming to check on them. She hadn’t said anything, but from the look on her face, he knew.

After all, it was the same one she had when Sarai had fallen ill.

Callum would die if no cure was found soon.

Harrow hadn’t cried in a long time. Not since the night his wife had died. Now, at the prospect of losing another person he loved, of losing his _son_ , he felt tears gathering in his eyes. Soon they were dripping down his cheeks.

If he lost his son, he didn’t know what he would do.

When the sun peeked out over the horizon, Soren burst through the door. His face, red from running and his chest heaving, he gasped out as he tried to catch his breath. “We...found the...posion! “They’re working...on a cure.”

Callum would survive. He would live. There wouldn’t be another funeral. This wouldn’t be the time to grieve the loss of another royal. Harrow wouldn’t have to hold Ezran, as he cried for his big brother. Harrow himself, would not have to feel that pain of losing another person he loved.

Harrow leaned against the wall by Callum’s bed, very nearly collapsing from the relief that flooded his body.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on [my Tumblr](https://bidragonwrites.tumblr.com/) If I hit 200 followers before 2019 I might do a 1k fic give away!


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